Cleveland autism conference expands to meet growing demand

View full sizeDale Omori, The Plain DealerAutistic children often have trouble interacting with other children in a normal way. A two-day conference in Cleveland sponsored by the Milestones Autism Organization will offer more than 70 workshops to help with problem behaviors, schooling and employment questions, and other issues important to parents and educators of autistic children.

CLEVELAND, Ohio--As the number of children diagnosed with autism continues to grow, the number of families seeking information about treatment, education, job placement and housing is skyrocketing. And they're willing to pay for sound advice.

This week many of them will gather in Cleveland for a two-day conference run by Milestones Autism Organization, a Beachwood-based education group formed in 2003 to provide scientific information for parents on how to best help their autistic children.

In the 10th year of the conference, the organizers have expanded to a two-day format for the first time, have moved to a larger venue and expect 900 attendees.

The conference isn't free: It costs $125 for family members, and $85 for individuals with autism or Asperger's syndrome. But participants, who numbered nearly 900 last year, seem to think it's well worth it.

Ilana Hoffer Skoff, executive director of Milestones, said the conference is an opportunity for parents, educators and therapists to network and to gather evidence-based information on treatments, educational tools, communication strategies and behaviors.

Hoffer Skoff, the mother of a teenage daughter with autism, started Milestones with another parent in 2003 to improve services and find people who were trained to work with their children.

A decade later, a lot has changed, she says.

"Ten years ago, there weren't the services we have now, and there weren't the numbers we have now," she said. "It used to be 1 in 10,000 [kids with autism], now it's 1 in 88. Across these 10 years Cleveland has become a destination for families with autism, a place that really provides the services and support."

Milestones Autism Conference

Milestones Autism Conference. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference Center. For more information about the conference, go to milestones.org or call 216-464-7600.

Lisa Zimmerman, of Shaker Heights, has beenattendingthe Milestones Conference since it began. She also has a daughter,Talia, now 12 years old, who is on the autism spectrum, the term for the range of conditions known as autism, Asperger's, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome.

"I end up seeing a lot of other parents who I know [at the conference]," she said. "We're all going through the same thing, and it's nice to have that support."

Isolation can be a big problem for families of special-needs children, Hoffer Skoff said. "You feel you can't do the things that other families do, you can't go out to the same places. People don't understand."

Zimmerman uses the conference as an opportunity to learn new ways to deal with problem behaviors she's dealing with at the time and has attended different sessions (there are more than 70 available) based on her daughter's age and needs.

It's important to her that Milestones focuses only on scientifically grounded research and treatments.

"That's one of the things that I like about their philosophy and about the conference, because I'm the same way," she said. "I feel like if I'm going to spend money on therapies and services, I want them to be evidence-based. A lot of these alternative remedies don't work well, and then you feel like you're throwing your money out the window."

Using proven methods saves something else that may be even more valuable than money for these families, said Hoffer Skoff.

"It saves time, and time is really important for our kids," she said. "You have to ask, 'Is it something that is going to be effective and move them along, or not?' "

The conference has moved to a larger venue this year -- Cleveland's Public Auditorium and Conference Center -- to accommodate growinginterest.

Hoffer Skoff and Zimmerman believemore people are coming to the conferences because of the increasing rate of autism diagnoses and because each child with autism is in contact with so many teachers, therapists, friends and family who want to know more about the disorder.

"People in general are becoming more comfortable that other people have differences," Hoffer Skoff said. "It's OK and they should be part of our community. That's one of the biggest changes I've seen."

Clues to Cancer: Patients, doctors on road to discovery

For 10 months, Plain Dealer reporter Angela Townsend and photographer Lynn Ischay followed 9 patients through their journey as study participants in Phase 1 trials at University Hospitals. We tell their stories here.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.